2021 China Bookstore Conference named Beijing as the "Capital of Bookstores" in 2021. Photo: Courtesy for conference

A conference focusing on the development of China's "offline" bookstores in 2021 was held in Beijing on Tuesday. 

Taking "innovative reading service" as its main theme, the conference called for improving the reading services provided by today's bookstores through more creative thinking and new business designs that include elements such as livestreaming and "online and offline" operations. 

Today many "offline" bookstores face predicaments such as having a lot of visitors to a store, but only making a few sales. Such issues became even direr with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been hard on many businesses. As a response to the issue in the post-pandemic era, the future development of bookstores should use internet streaming as a tool for promotion and to bond with customers online to create a consumer community, the forum suggested. 

Future bookstores will employ a new business model, which combines B2B with B2C. To continue development, policy-wise, bookstores should be included into the public culture service system, while society-wise, bookstores can enter communities in places like suburban areas and schools. 

The conference also named Beijing as the "Capital of Bookstores" in 2021. 

Over 30 bookstores across the country have been given "2020 anti-pandemic special thanks," an honor given to them to mark their steady performance during difficult times.

In a report published at the conference to predict the 2021's bookstore market in China, books on themes such as "poverty alleviation," "anti-pandemic efforts" and "traditional Chinese culture" have been increasing in popularity among readers in China.